(DNO) Acting Assistant Local Government Commissioner Glenroy Toussaint says he is concerned about the frequent resignation of its members.
Several village council members have been tendering their resignation over the past several weeks and Toussaint said the matter needs to be addressed.
“It’s causing the state a lot of money when we have to replace village council members. The same mechanisms that are put in place for general elections have to be put in place to elect just one person,” he said.
According to Toussaint, a series of consultations were held in four communities.
“We have sought our best to try and encourage persons to cope with each other. Some of us think differently and we have tried to talk to the councilors to try and resolve their problems differently. We have said to them that they shouldn’t just resign,” he said
He also added that certain laws should be amended to deal with the situation.
He is also hoping that public awareness on the matter will solve it in the interim.
Wondering why this article didn’t mention which communities have been effected by this resignation wave? I am with ‘former councillor’ that there are too much politics in village councils. Of course, we have our current government to thank for that…bringing national politics into what should be community matters has done a great disservice to our communities. The previous council in my community was pretty evenly split in terms of who adhered to which party but there was a general community spirit that prevailed in discussions…the latest council is virtually all Labour and more “gets done” but at what price? Central government no matter who is in power needs to stay out of the local councils/elections…they get to put their 3 hand-picked ppl on the council but their involvement shouldn’t go beyond that.
There is just too much politics in the selection of concillors. Persons who are committed to community development are sidelined simply because the palrep thinks the individual may not have voted for him. This is happening much too often. Councillors should be elected based on their record of community involvement and not whether they support one party or another. A village councillor loves his community and must have a reord of involvement. Such persons do not shrink under pressure or quit at the first point of contention. Those who give up are not community minded but simply placed on councils because of political affiliation and for the monthly stipend. Believe me $260 monthly goes a long way for those who do not have.
To that is will say that the pay is not such that one would want to be entirely committed to that office.
Many Village councilors wish to assist in developing their communities. However, that zeal, that burning desire to serve is frustrated due to several reasons. More than ever before, Village Councils are being disempowered. Only the usual cleaning up and other small scale projects are implemented. Village elders are no longer respected and the dedication is lacking. Although Councilors get a small stipend and the clerks salaries have increased, community participation and development are on the decline. Compared to now people received nothing before but were willing to sacrifice their time and efforts and volunteered to building their community.
Govt do not engage the community and Village councils in many cases of project implementation. The participation of the community is almost absent. Govt does what it wants in those villages, while people are merely bystanders. People simply see central GOVT erecting something or working on a project with no or little idea of what is taking place. People feel left out. Information is not forthcoming and access to the same is problematic. Many of our present day politicians do not appreciate the importance of indigenous knowledge. Thinking that they know all, they ram things down the throat of the community and expect people to accept everything without question. Officials in authority do not put enough trust in the people. The input and ideas of the ordinary villagers must be taken on board. They must be part and parcel of the development process. Villagers must be informed from the beginning to end of any project undertaken. Their ideas and knowledge are crucial for success of any programme activity. Just recently the people of Layou, although expressing concerns regarding their health with the building of an asphalt plant in their village, GOVT refused to see with the Layou Village Improvement Committee and supported the man with the Big Bucks. In that case, total disrespect and disdain. of course the people had no power to stop the project in their own community even though they believe it’s an environmental hazard. Many other examples could be cited where communities and village Councils or other Community Based Organisations are sidelined and the Govt departments and Govt itself come up with all sorts of excuses.
The concept of KOUDMEN has been thrown out of the window and buried. Instead of strengthening Koudmen, which helped communities to improve and develop, Govt has allowed that good thing to virtually disappear and has instituted the “RED CLINIC’ which makes people more and more dependent on handouts instead of moving ahead through their own bootstraps. Everything is about DE MONEY not about WORKING to earn or/and achieve and seeing work as a worthwhile and beautiful thing. What has the Local Govt. Office or/and this Govt done over the years to educate people of the positive effects of KOUDMEN and to put things in place to ensure it is not dying a slow death? The costs of certain community projects would be significantly reduced through KOUDMEN when properly organised and the people in that participation would socialise more and assume more ownership of the project. In turn, the community would better protect the structure built.
However, the main problems have to do with lack of respect for community and elders, little or no serious engagement, disregard for local knowledge, authoritative interventions and decline of community participation in programmes and projects undertaken , especially by CENTRAL GOVT. Blind Partisan Politics have had a devastating effect also Villagers have lost confidence in the respective authorities to find solutions. People must find again the strength and determination to take back their communities. Many problems exist. It is hoped that the necessary LOCAL GOVT REFORMS and recommendations if properly implemented in time would address those serious problems facing the Village Councils and Councilors. REFORMS are necessary whether those reforms have to deal with politics, economics, or culture especially when bad governance threatens community and National development. Dominicans, we must never be afraid of or turn a blind eye to the issues of REFORM. According to the proverb. ‘A stitch in time saves nine.’
Soon the cabinet people will start resigning
when national politic get involved in local politic you should expect that. you know beter then that.
Eh eh Mr. Toussaint. There is more to the story that what you are claiming. When these village councillors does not have the support from central government then their efforts are worthless. Dominica has a one-man cabinet and as such no village council or the government can function based on consensus. The will of the master must be imposed on the people be it at the local level or otherwise. Don’t come on here spinning all that doo-doo.